Just in time for the holidays

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Just in time for the holidays

Dec 18th, 2015

Dear Colleagues,

There are many, often contradictory, perspectives on the state of the labor market and where it might be going. We can be certain however, that if business is investing in a particular education focus, it is probably important.

As noted in this article, the Siemens Foundation understands the need to build a more robust middle-skilled workforce. Middle-skills occupations are those requiring more than a high school education but less than four-year bachelor's degree.

Middle-skills jobs account for more than half of the U.S. labor market, and middle-skills jobs in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) come with an average salary of $53,000.

As career pathways -- especially career pathways developed through cross-agency collaborations within states (e.g., across departments of labor, education, economic and workforce development, and health and human services) -- become the dominant focus of workforce development policy, clusters with abundant middle-skill jobs like these should receive special attention.

I and my colleagues at the NRCCTE at SREB wish you all the best as we close this year and wish for you a happy and prosperous new year.